The work, done largely by hand-tracing thousands of serial section electron micrographs, was the first complete nervous system map of any animal[1] and it helped establish C. elegans as a model organism.
[6] Brenner was interested in establishing C. elegans as a model organism at MRC LMB, and using it to study the nervous system and its connection to genetics.
[2] In pursuit of this goal, he wanted to obtain a complete map of the C. elegans nervous system, and Southgate was tasked with helping John White and electron microscopist Nichol Thomas achieve this.
[2] Nichol Thomson helped prepare thousands of serial transverse sections of C. elegans worms, which Southgate imaged, printed out, and traced.
[2] Additionally, it aided researchers in studying analogous nerves other nematodes, including Ascaris, which, due to its larger size, is more amenable to electrophysiological investigation.